Seite - 123 - in Universities in Imperial Austria, 1848–1918 - A Social History of a Multilingual Space

Chapter 3 ♦  123 The working conditions of young graduates seeking a university career favored speedy habilitation.150 The number of scholarships was limited, and the payment low, and assistants were bound by some rigorous rules: a max- imum of four years in the same position151 and, at least at some universities, a ban on marrying.152 Clearly, the time between graduation and habilitation was financially exhausting.153 This process offered social advancement but favored those whose families had a good financial situation. The sons of civil servants, the urban bourgeoisie, and scholars constituted the major- ity, however.154 There was also a financial aspect to habilitation, making it attractive even for scholars with no intention of entering a university career. Especially for physicians and jurists who had their own practices and lawyer’s of- fices, being a Privatdozent (or carrying any title of Dozent) increased their status and thus their income. That such titles were acquired (or even used without formal habilitation) for reasons of prestige was a continual source of criticism.155 Because in the late nineteenth to early twentieth century roughly 40 percent of Privatdozenten—mostly in practical disciplines—did not have an occupation listed, one can imagine that they had private prac- tices (the other 60 percent were most often chiefs of clinics, assistants, or chief physicians).156 Further, these Privatdozenten seldom achieved a pro- motion. However, since the title was rescinded if a scholar was not actively teaching (even though it was not necessary to teach every semester), most Privatdozenten remained in their positions, especially in the capital, thus aggravating the image of an overcrowded first step on the career ladder. To return now to the factors facilitating the academic careers of Privat- dozenten, their function as a reservoir of scholars was reminiscent of the idea of a Pflanzschule before 1848. Promoting Privatdozenten was seen not only as supporting local scientific traditions but also as being vital to sustain the function and attractiveness of the Privatdozentur. It is clear that the facul- ties consciously used these arguments to promote local scholars, especially in more debatable cases.157 But one also finds evidence in support of local tradition in ministerial notes, where “tradition” conceals the fact that the nomination of a young Privatdozent was simply the cheapest option to fill a professorship.158 Medical faculties were especially torn between supporting local schol- ars and hiring external candidates. Habsburg medical institutions had strong local traditions but also strove to obtain the best possible scholars. They also had to convince the ministry, which valued tradition and finances more than